


Welcome to Mystery

by WallaceAndGromitGirl



Series: Shapes And Shadows Trilogy [1]
Category: Coraline (2009), Frozen (2013)
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, Dolls, Fairy Tale Elements, Family, Fantasy, Gen, Poetry, Prequel, Sisters, Temptation, buttons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-09
Updated: 2014-02-19
Packaged: 2018-01-11 17:15:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1175711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WallaceAndGromitGirl/pseuds/WallaceAndGromitGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"She was young, no more than nine. She was innocent. She was foolish. Above all, she was loving. Perfect." A nine-year old Anna receives a strange doll that leads her to a strange door. Through that door, she finds a sight even stranger; an Elsa who loves her. Three parts, first in a series, not AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

" _Do you want to build a snowman? Or ride our bike around the halls? I think some company is overdue, I've started talking to the pictures on the walls! Hang in there, Joan. It gets a little lonely, all these empty rooms, just watching the hours tick by…"_

She was young, no more than nine. She was innocent. She was foolish. Above all, she was loving.

_Perfect._

When the doll returned to her, she clipped away the features of her last meal and filled the empty shell with cotton. Soft, like the child's common sense. Pearl grey buttons would do this time, for they matched her hair so well. She sang to herself as she carefully threaded the white strands of yarn into the red braids. Now for the dress. Dark green and a brown bow. Yes, it was wonderful!

Opening her window, she let the new image float off into the starlight. This web would be woven and destroyed in an evening — two, at most. She could feel it.

* * *

_Knock knock knock-knock knock._

Anna sat up and stared at her bedroom door before scrambling up and running to it. "Yes?" she asked, daring to let her hopes rise. When she opened the door, however, they sank once again. No lost sister waited for her, or even lingered in the hall. All she found was a small white box on the floor. Looking around, she picked it up. "Thank you…?"

There was no answer, but she could feel the presence of something that was certainly not her parents or Elsa. She retreated back into her room, taking the package with her.

It was pleasing to look at, she thought. The sender had carefully tied it up with a lacy black ribbon, and and a card was attached to the bow. _To Anna, from an Understanding Friend,_ it read in neat cursive. Pulling off the ribbon, Anna flung the lid aside and gasped in delight.

Lying on a pillow was herself, in the form of a cloth doll. The dress was the same shade as her favorite one, the white streak of her hair had not been forgotten and the black yarn mouth was curled up in a simple smile. Its eyes were two polished grey buttons, and as Anna looked into them, they seemed to look right into her. "Hello, little me!" she chirped, unable to tear her gaze from the enchanting sight. Grabbing the doll, she ran off towards her sister's room.

"Elsa! Elsa, are you in there?"

"Your sister is in the library." Gerda was coming down the hall, eying her with amusement. "I thought you were too old for dolls, ma'am."

"This one is special, Gerda. It's a little me! Isn't she perfect?"

Gerda's smile faded as Anna held up the doll. "It's...it's very nice, ma'am."

"I knew you'd like it! Will Elsa like it? I have to go see if Elsa will like it! Thank you, Miss Gerda!" Anna dashed away before the old woman could even realize that something was wrong.

* * *

"I met a lady in the meads, full beautiful — a faery's child. Her hair was long, her foot was light and her eyes were wild…"

"Elsa!"

The twelve-year-old and her father stiffened as Anna bounded into the library. "Elsa, come and see this!"

"That's enough for today, Elsa," said the king. "You may go."

Elsa put away the poetry book and curtseyed before leaving, offering a nod and a smile to Anna as she passed. Anna hurried after her, pulling on her sleeve. "Elsa, wait!"

The king pulled her away. "She's studied all day, Anna," he said as they watched her leave. "She's tired. Perhaps another time."

_Which means never,_ Anna thought once he was gone. She flopped on the couch in front of the fireplace, resting her chin on her hand. "This is the library," she said to the doll. "I like it here a lot! It's nice and cozy and I can read all the books I want and watch the clock go back and forth and…"

The little her was not listening. It had found the perfect spot on the floor to set the trap.

"Little me?" Anna asked when she finally noticed that the doll was missing. "Where are you?" She jumped off the couch and poked around the furniture in search of her new toy. At last she spotted it lying next to the rug. "Sorry, did I throw you? I didn't notice." As she stooped to pick it up, she saw a part of the rug turned up. Beneath it, a piece of wood was lighter than the ones around it.

_That wasn't here when Gerda lay this out._ Anna rolled up the rest of the rug and found herself staring down at a little square door set amongst the boards. A niche in the finely smoothed wood held the handle, next to a gold-lined keyhole. But _where's the key?_ "You wouldn't know, would you?" she asked the doll. Then she realized what she had said and set it down. _That was weird._

As the doll touched the floor, a seam came undone as something poked through its side from within. Anna instantly swept it back up, the spell in place once more. "Are you alright, little me?" There was a pointed, black object slipping from the hole, and she carefully pulled it out. "I guess you _did_ know."

In her hand was a long black key, far too large to be from the castle's set. At the handle's end, it formed the shape of a button. There was something elegant about it, elegant and enticing.

Anna held her breath as she slowly stuck the key into the lock and turned it. When she heard the click of gears within, she giggled. _A secret passage! Right out of a storybook!_ "Ready, little me?" She reached for the handle —

_Knock, knock, knock._ "Princess Anna?" Kai asked, making her jump. "It's tea-time, ma'am."

"I'm coming!" Anna replied as she rolled the rug back down and shoved the key under it. Tucking the doll under her arm, she went to the library door and hurried out. "Can I have some thread when we're done, Kai? And about ten thimbles…?"

For a moment, the library was silent. Then the secret door creaked as something pushed it open. A lump appeared under the cloth and slithered its way to the edge of the rug. A little white mouse crawled into the open, squeaking and sniffing the air. Its black button eyes shined as it looked about.

_Tonight, my pet. Tonight._

 


	2. Chapter 2

"Can't I stay up another half hour, Gerda?"

"No," the servant answered, ushering into her bedroom for the night.

"Five more minutes, then."

"I'm afraid not."

There must be some way for her to get back to the door, if only for a few seconds. "I...I left my doll in the library when I went to tea! We need to stitch her up!"

Gerda gestured to the bed. "Anna, she's right here."

"...She is?" Sure enough, the little Anna was propped up on a pillow.

"She looks fine to me."

"What?" Anna rushed to the bed, grabbed the doll and examined it. Not a stitch out of place. "But I know she had a hole in her side this afternoon — "

"Then someone must have fixed her for you."

_Exactly,_ the doll's eyes said.

"Yes." Anna cast the thought from her mind as she washed up, pulled on her yellow nightgown and crawled into bed. A wave of drowsiness had washed over her.

"Shall I leave the candle burning for you, Your Highness?" Gerda asked as she stood in the open doorway, preparing to leave.

"Yes, please…" Anna stopped as a small, white object skittered out of her wall, past Gerda's feet and into the hallway. It ran too fast to be properly made out, but she caught sight of a few features: the wispy tail, the round ears, the button-like eyes. "Wait! Come back!"

Gerda looked around. "What is it?"

"A mouse, I think. I couldn't quite see."

The old woman sighed. "I'll have to lay out some traps, then."

"Maybe it's a nice mouse."

"Or maybe," Gerda said as she closed the door, "it's a rat in disguise."

Anna lay down and closed her eyes, only for them to spring open again moments later. She flopped onto one side, then onto the other. The mattress was lumpier than usual, and the clock seemed to get louder with each tick. She faintly remembered Elsa lying across from her, waiting for the right moment to leap out of bed and start another night of playing...

_I can make it go away. I can make it_ _ **all**_ _go away._

Anna hadn't heard the voice, but she had felt it. A shiver went down her spine, and she pulled the doll closer to her. _Its eyes are the prettiest part,_ she thought. She found herself staring at them until they seemed to swirl around and grow into deep pools of grey. _You know I love you…_

She was asleep before she knew it.

* * *

_Eeep! Eeep!_

Anna's eyes flew open. "Who's there?" she called out, sitting up and looking around. The clock was too dark to read, and the temperature had gone down enough to make her shiver. She went to the window, but it was shut. Clouds covered the moon, and the northern lights had gone dark.

_Eeep! Eeep!_ It was behind her now. Anna whirled around as the creature she had seen came crawling out from under the clock. Two more joined it, and their shadows danced on the floor. She grabbed what was left of the still-burning candle and held it up to see them. They were definitely mice, and their eyes were definitely black buttons. "How…?"

They squeaked at her once more, then crawled under her door and ran away. "Wait!" she exclaimed. Hastily putting on her slippers, she flung the door open and hurried into the hallway. The strange mice were still dancing around at the end of it, whispering. Beckoning.

The candle sputtered and went out as Anna chased them through the castle. They led her down the spiral staircase, past the suits of armor, up another flight of stairs, right up to the library. _Good, good._

The mice crawled under the doors to get in, and she opened them just in time to see the trio slip under the rug. "Oh no you don't!" Kneeling down, she rolled it up to expose the door. "Where'd you go?" she said as she lifted the handle and pulled it open. "Are you in...here….?"

A gust of cool wind came flowing out of the secret chamber. Anna gaped as a dazzling tunnel of blue and violet stretched out from the opening and down to impossible depths. A dim light shone at the end, almost too small to see. Anna bent down to see it, poking her head into the hole. _You should probably go,_ a voice inside her said. Elsa's voice.

That was before the wind suddenly blew in reverse, sucking her into the tunnel.

"No, _no!"_ she screamed as she slid down the passageway, its entrance shutting behind her. Star-like sparkles in the wall flew past her, and the colors swirled before her eyes. The light grew closer and closer each second. It was a second door, and it came rushing up to meet her. With another gust, the tunnel spat her out, up and forward. Then she was tumbling on soft carpet and finally coming to a rest on her back. _Eeep, eeep._

The moment Anna's head stopped spinning, she sat up and looked about wildly. At first glance, she thought she had somehow ended up back in the library. When she looked again, though, the colors of the fabric were wrong. They were brighter, vibrant, glowing. The patterns had become curling hearts, with **A** s and **E** s wound together. Flames hissed and glittered in the fireplace. _Am I dreaming?_

" _Na na na heyana, hahiyaha naha...naheya heya na yanuwa, hanahe yunuwana…"_

It was Elsa, and yet it wasn't. Anna followed it anyhow, out of the library and into a corridor of shadows. They parted and made way for the familiar white door, which was covered in snowflakes of pink as well as blue. She lifted her hand to knock as always, then backed away as the door swung open of its own accord. Within was her own room — not as it was, but as she remembered it when Elsa had been there. Two beds, toys strewn across the floor, the sky awake and shining. At the window stood Elsa, her back facing the doorway. "Anna?" she said. "Is it really you?"

She turned, and Anna screamed. "Y-You're not Elsa!"

"Of course not, silly," the button-eyed girl said. "I'm the Other Elsa."

"What does that mean?"

"I've been waiting such a long time for you, Anna," the girl said, coming towards her with open arms. "You fell down that hole in the library, didn't you? I've been knocking on the door and calling to you, but you never came out! You look so puzzled, Anna. Come here." Before Anna could run, the Other Elsa had caught her and pulled her into a hug.

Anna flailed, trying to free her pinned arms, then stopped as the sensation of the embrace seeped into her. It was tighter than the hugs she got from her parents, much tighter. The Other Elsa's grasp was full of a love and caring that she could only imagine receiving from the Elsa she knew. Her fear gradually drained away, and she tentatively returned the hug. _If this is a dream, I guess I can stay asleep for a little while._

"Are you alright now?" the Other Elsa said when she pulled away.

"...Yes. Yes, I'm feeling better."

"Good!" A mischievous grin spread across the Other Elsa's face. "Now...do you want to build a snowman?"


	3. Chapter 3

The other great hall had no ceiling. Instead, it ended in a dark blue field of sky. Hundreds of stars dotted its surface, and their gentle glow twinkled down on the room as the dome slowly turned.

Anna stared up at it, eyes wide and mouth gaping. "This is amazing!"

The Other Elsa smiled at her joy. "Watch this," she said, rubbing her fingers together. Anna gasped as blue sparks of light floated up from the girl's hands. She squeezed them together, and they formed a small, sparkling snowball. "Ready?"

"I've _been_ ready!"

The Other Elsa — the better Elsa — threw the snowball into the air, where it burst into a myriad of flakes that rained down on the laughing sisters.

They rolled the balls for the snowman together, stacking them atop one another with care. It was as tall as Anna when they finished. The Other Elsa shoved two sticks into its sides, a carrot on its face and a pair of black buttons as the finishing touch. Anna wasn't sure where she'd gotten them, but she couldn't bring herself to care. "Oh, Elsa, he's perfect!"

"Not quite." The Other Elsa carved out a mouth for the snowman, then snapped her fingers. Their sagging creation jerked upright and waved its brown arms. "Hi, I'm Olaf!" it said. "And I like warm hugs! I love you, Anna!"

Anna shrieked at first, then laughed. "I love you too, Olaf!"

"Let's go skating!"

"But there's no ice."

The Other Elsa stomped her foot on the floor. From it shot a sheet of thin ice that covered the whole ground and sent Anna sliding. "Now we can!" she said, chasing after her. She helped Anna regain her balance, then pushed her back towards Olaf. The snowman caught her, and they went dancing around the hall as a gust of arctic wind from Elsa's hands blew them along.

Directing her attention to a corner of the room, the Other Elsa formed a tall pile of snow. "Jump, Anna! I'll catch you!"

Anna looked between her and it hesitantly. "Are you sure?"

"Of course," said the Other Elsa. "I won't let you fall. I promise."

Anna took a step forward, then backed away. "I'd...I'd rather see what else you can do."

As it turned out, she could get them into the other kitchen and prepare them a feast of chocolate for a picnic on the roof. Then they went tearing up and down the halls on their bicycle, wielding swords and not caring what they ran into. She froze the other nanny's behind and the other tutor's tea, earning a round of applause from Anna. "My Elsa wouldn't do that even if she could!"

"What else wouldn't your Elsa do?"

"All of this. Everything you've done for me." Anna flopped onto her bed, closed her eyes and sighed happily. "I wish I didn't have to wake up…"

The Other Elsa leaned over her. "You don't have to," she whispered.

Anna didn't seem to understand, though. She simply yawned and rolled over. "We'll talk about it tomorrow, okay?"

"...If that's what you want, Anna."

She yawned again, slipping deeper into sleep. "I can't wait to tell everyone about this…"

The Other Elsa draped a blanket over her and smiled. "See you soon."

* * *

The sunlight streaming through the curtains roused Anna from her slumber. "You up, Other Elsa? So what are we gonna — " She stopped as she saw the empty space across from her bed. Getting up, she ran out her door and down to the great hall. Same old ceiling, no trace of snow to be seen.

"Princess Anna?" Kai was already there, dusting the pair of thrones. "Why are you up so early, my dear?"

"I had the most amazing adventure last night, Kai! The mice led me into the library and there was a magic door under the rug and it took me to this other place that was _like_ the palace but it _wasn't…"_

She chattered on, going straight through her morning wash and not stopping when she got to the breakfast table. "The Other Elsa's a lot more fun than you," she told her sister as she stuffed her face. "She has snow powers! And she built a snowman with me!"

"Anna," her father said, "it was only a dream."

"No, it wasn't! I can prove it! She leapt from her chair and scampered off towards the library, her parents reluctantly following. Throwing open the doors, she immediately ran to the rug and tossed it up. "See? Here's the…"

The door was gone.

"That's quite enough nonsense for one day, Anna," her mother said as she turned to leave.

"B-But it was right here yesterday!"

"It must have been part of you dream," her father said. "There's no meaning in it."

_Yes, there is. I know it was real,_ Anna thought as she lay on her bed later that day. _I'll find a way back tonight._

She felt next to her for her doll, and then felt around again. "Little me?" she asked, sitting up. She lifted up her pillows, pulled back her covers, opened every drawer in her room and tossed their contents to the floor.

Gerda opened her door. "Are you alright, Princess?"

"Have you seen my doll, Gerda?" she asked urgently. "The new one?"

"No, I haven't. We can get you another if you've lost it, I'm sure."

"I don't _want_ another one."

"Very well. Good day." With a polite nod, Gerda shut the door and left Anna with nothing to do but sink to the floor and pout.

* * *

The old woman held the bundle closer to her side as she walked towards the next wing of the castle. Her head kept turning back to ensure that Anna was not following her. When she reached the white door, she knocked quietly. "Princess Elsa?"

The door cracked inward, revealing the older girl's peering eyes. "Did you get it? Is she watching?"

Gerda handed her the bundle. "She suspects nothing. Yet."

"Maybe this will help, then."

"Your Highness, are you quite sure about this?"

"Yes, Gerda. I've looked in all the old books. I have to do this." She began to shut the door. "Thank you, Gerda."

"You're welcome, Your Highness." When the door closed, she walked away as slowly as she could.

Elsa undid the bundle, and out came Anna's doll. Her hands clenched into fists as she picked it up and stared at it. "I know what you are," she hissed through angry tears. "I know what you are, and I'm not letting you take her."

Digging her fingers beneath the buttons, she ripped them out and threw them in her fireplace. The rest of the doll followed. Taking a match from a drawer, Elsa struck it and held the flame to them. Once they were ablaze, she sat down and watched as they crumbled to ash.

On the other end of the castle, Anna suddenly stiffened. Her eyes rolled back into her head, and she slumped backwards as the spell lifted. The memories flew from her mind, leaving her with only the flashes of what she thought might have been.

"You're gonna be okay, Anna," Elsa whispered. "You're gonna be okay…"

* * *

She hissed and spat as she clutched the stump where her right hand had been. "You cheating little _brat!"_ One had been quite enough, but two in a row was unbearable.

Her stomach growling, she turned to the prisoner. "What remains of your soul?"

"Hardly enough for your breakfast, I should think." He groaned in pain as she sucked up more of it, drop by drop. "...Told you."

"You wish for your freedom, do you not?"

"How perceptive."

"Then bring me this girl."

"Someone special in mind this time, hmmm?"

She looked back at Elsa. "This one is different. She is unnatural, I can sense it. I don't care how you lure her or how long you take, but I want her here alive and safe."

"In your domain, madam? I can't guarantee either."

"Bring her to the throne and you shall be returned to your own world."

He bowed his head, for he could move nothing else. "Whatever you say, madam."

She smiled. "And Maxwell? Make sure she doesn't run into any of your playthings when she gets here."

At her feet, the rats danced and sang. " _We have eyes, and we have nerveses. We have tails. We have teeth. She will get what she deserveses, when we rise from underneath."_

* * *

**To Be Continued**


End file.
